Finish your day of open houses by enjoying a chocolate fountain and other refreshments at our chocolate reception. This social event will give you the opportunity to connect with the Parent & Family Program and with other parents and families.

Students are free to go to the student organization receptions or are welcome to attend the Parent & Family Chocolate Reception with their families.

Were you involved in a campus organization or specialized program during your time as a student? If so, we invite you to reconnect with fellow student group members and get acquainted with current students and staff advisors in the organization.

See other tab for a list of participating student organization and academic programs and more information.

The Alumni Service Celebration is an opportunity for our entire alumni community to recognize and thank those who have demonstrated outstanding support for CU Denver or have excelled in their careers and service to the community.

Join fellow alumni and university leadership for a brunch to recognize our accomplishments.

Parents, families, alumni, and students are invited to a breakfast at CU Denver Housing and Dining at Campus Village. Enjoy remarks from upper administration, student performances, and meet other LynxFest attendees over complimentary breakfast and coffee.

Join our resident expert in Colorado history on this extraordinarily detailed history tour of campus. Learn everything about the Tivoli Brewery’s transformation to a mall as well as other fascinating information about the Auraria neighborhood's conversion to an urban university campus.

Unfortunately, Matt had a family emergency come up and is no longer able to lecture at LynxFest. As an alternative the Wellness Center Sneak Peek has been relocated to a bigger room (Student Commons, Room 1600) to accomodate those registered for the social media lecture. Otherwise, yard games will be set up on the Tivoli Quad, or you can explore campus on your own during this time.

Learn to be an informed consumer and contributor to social media from CU Denver's Digital Engagement Strategist, Matt Kaskavitch, one of the original innovators in the field of digital marketing and social media.

A student-lead initiative is becoming a reality. Following the 2013-2014 Student Government Association feasibility study, 20% of the CU Denver student body voted (national record) in favor of a student-fee funded Student Wellness Center. The Student Wellness Center broke ground in October 2016 and is scheduled to open spring 2018.

Join the Student Wellness Center director, Amber Long, for a sneak peek and learn about the future impact of this new CU Denver facility and maybe even leave with some life wellness tips.

Saturday's BBQ luncheon features a distinguished alumni keynote address by CU Denver alumnus and City of Denver Mayor, Michael Hancock, MPA'95. Enjoy local BBQ by Jim 'N Nick's​and hear about the importance of CU Denver in the Denver Metro community and Colorado and how Mayor Hancock's CU Denver degree and affiliation have opened doors in his career.

​Audience: All LynxFest Attendees

Tivoli Station Sip 'n Shop | 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. | Tivoli Student Union

Enjoy some milk and cookies as you explore the Tivoli bookstore and stock up on your CU Denver swag.

​Audience: All LynxFest Attendees

FULL "We didn't have that when I was at CU Denver" Tour | 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. | The Lynx Den

Just as Denver has been experiencing a recent development boom, so too has the Auraria Campus. Whether you attended CU Denver within the last five years, or completed courses at 9th and Colorado, this tour will introduce you to the campus current CU Denver students experience.

Pull up a student desk and experience the academic side of CU Denver with this mini lecture series. Enjoy three 25 minute talks on three very different topics. Learn more about the featured speakers and their area of research and study in the speaker line up tab.

Participate in a quick service project to help support various local charities and nonprofits in Denver. Giving back has never been easier. We'll provide all the needed supplies!

​Audience: All LynxFest Attendees

Alumni Beer Garden | 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. | The Lynx Den

Colorado is a hot spot for craft breweries and we're bringing some of the best to campus for a casual social tasting and yard games, including some CU Denver alumni-owned brewers. Other family-friendly activities will also be available during the beer garden.

$15 – over 21: general admission to the beer garden; access to the buffet and two drink tokens redeemable for a 16oz beers in a commemorative lynxfest silicone pint glass

$10 – under 21: general admission to the beer garden; access to the buffet and soft drinks

Additional drink tokens can be purchased for $5 each.

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See the Alumni Beer Garden tab for a list of featured brewers and event details.

Photo Scavenger Hunt | 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. | The Lynx Den

Join us in a fun and interactive photo scavenger hunt around our campus. Awesome prizes for the winners!

Don't forget to use the #LynxFest in your posts and swipe for the LynxFest filter on Snapchat!​

​Audience: All LynxFest Attendees

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Friday Night Receptions

Were you involved in a campus organization or academic program during your time as a student? If so, we invite you to reconnect with fellow student group members and get acquainted with current students and staff advisors in ​the organization.

Locations will be shared or close so guests are welcome to move between the various receptions.​​

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Speaker Line Up

Raul Cardenas, Jr. was born in El Paso, Tex. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Pepperdine University, his Masters from Northern Arizona University and his PhD from Arizona State University (ASU).

Cardenas has focused his career on ensuring people have an opportunity to access higher education and earn a degree. He helped to create and implement two charter high schools that served predominately high-risk students. He also has worked at Arizona State University and Colorado State University.

Most recently, Cardenas served at the University of Northern Colorado as the assistant vice president of Student Engagement and as dean of Students. He has worked for more than 17 years in administrative roles during a 21+ year career of educational leadership.

Cardenas possesses extensive experience in university leadership, retention and access-related issues, and has extensive experience in higher education particularly in enrollment management, marketing, retention and pre-collegiate program development and implementation.

REMARKS AT PARENT & FAMILY BRUNCH

Storm Gloor is an associate professor in the department of Music and Entertainment Industry Studies at CU Denver. He teaches courses in music marketing, the future of the music business, and other subjects. He is also the faculty advisor for student internships and developed the first known Music Cities course in public higher education in the U.S. In 2010 he was the recipient of the College’s Excellence in Teaching award.

Professor Gloor worked in the music industry for fourteen years and holds an MBA degree with a Marketing concentration. He is currently president of the international Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA), an associate member of the Recording Academy (the Grammys) and a city councilman for the city of Glendale, CO, where he previously served as a planning commissioner. He has presented instructional sessions at numerous events and programs, including South By Southwest, the Denver Music Summit, the Underground Music Showcase, and various MEIEA conferences. He has also conducted full music business seminars for musicians and professionals in Las Vegas, Seattle, Scottsdale, Anchorage, and other cities.

LIGHTNING LECTURER

Michael Hancock, MPA'95 became the city’s 45th mayor in 2011 and was re-elected overwhelmingly in 2015, immediately began to transform Denver into a more globally competitive city. With the fifth-busiest airport in the U.S. serving more than 54 million passengers per year, Mayor Hancock is leveraging Denver International Airport (DIA) to make the entire Denver region a major gateway to the world.

Mayor Hancock has secured several new, nonstop international flights bringing over $250.4M in economic benefits to the region and is also working to create a bustling Airport City and Aerotropolis, which will create more than 30,000 new jobs over the next 20 years.

Mayor Hancock worked with regional leaders to secure a new U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in downtown which will generate nearly $440M in economic benefits over the next five years and establish the city as a hub of innovation in the high-tech and advanced-industry sectors. He also worked to secure the relocation of Panasonic Enterprise Solutions to Denver, located at a future stop near DIA along the rail line, and creating a global showcase for state-of-the-art sustainable community development.

The Mayor has also developed strategic short-and long-term business plans to support and grow Denver’s diverse, intelligent, and forward-leaning businesses in emerging industries such as clean energy, bio-technology, telecommunications, aerospace, and healthcare.

The Mayor believes there is nothing more important than helping every young person in every neighborhood compete and succeed in today's economy. He is aligning all city departments with nonprofits, businesses, and educational organizations to better prepare all children, for every stage of life, through new initiatives such as the Denver Children’s Cabinet and Denver Education Compact.

Prior to becoming Mayor, Michael Hancock served on the Denver City Council for eight years, including two as City Council President. In his early career, he worked for the Denver Housing Authority and National Civic League, and was the youngest President of an Urban League chapter in America

BBQ LUNCHEON DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Jamie Hodgkins ​is a zooarchaeologist interested in reconstructing the behaviors of early modern H​omo sapiens and Neandertals, and what they tell us about the origins and worldwide dispersals of our species. In these efforts, I currently focus on two geographic regions: Africa and Europe.

LIGHTNING LECTURE:

Invading the Globe: the Long Journey of Homo sapiens
New species belonging to the human genus (Homo) seem to be discovered with increasing frequency. Paleoanthropological research has revealed that our own family lineage is far more complex than once thought, yet it is also true that through time this diversity has been whittled down to one remaining species, Homo sapiens. Understanding how our species has survived when others did not is key to determining what makes us “human” and where we fit into the natural world. Using a combination of 3D archaeological excavation techniques, and aerial photography, this talk will summarize work currently in progress to reconstruct the lifeways of early modern humans as they left Africa and entered Europe encountering Neandertals. Work that will help parse out why modern humans survived and Neandertals disappeared.​​

Matt Kaskavitch (CASS-KUH-VITCH) is regarded as one of the original innovators in the field of digital marketing and social media. An alumnus of the University of Wisconsin, Matt created his own degree from scratch; a degree program that would become one of the first digital marketing degrees in the United States.

He’s been featured as a social media expert in media outlets like: CNN, CCTV America, 9News, Denver 7, Fox 31 and the Denver Post. Having consulted with small businesses to large corporations, he currently leads social media and digital engagement strategy for the University of Colorado Denver and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Matt also holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Communication at CU Denver where he teaches the strategic use of social media.​

MORNING SESSION TOPIC:​ How To Use Social Media Strategically Like a Rock Star​

Amber Long, MEd, has held the director’s position at the Kirmayer Fitness Center at the University of Kansas Medical Center for the past four years. Long received both her undergraduate degree in community health with a minor in public relations and her master’s in higher education leadership and policy studies from Iowa State University. She grew up working on the family farm in Iowa and says early dance lessons led to her passion for fitness.

STUDENT WELLNESS CENTER SNEAK PEEK -- FULL​

Omar Montgomery enjoys working one on one with students at the University of Colorado Denver, where he can see their growth and assist them in maximizing their academic potential. His most notable contribution is the coordinating of the “Rites of Passage Program,” which is a cultural approach to develop future leaders organized by his fraternity, Omega Psi Phi. The goal of ROP is to provide youth with the confidence and social tools needed to approach many of the distractions that may affect their ability to become productive members of society.

As the director of Black Student Services, Montgomery started the annual Rosa Parks Diversity Awards Luncheon in 2006, which recognizes CU Denver faculty, staff and community leaders for their contributions to diversity. He was instrumental with starting the Junior Black Chamber of Commerce Leadership Training Program, which provide CU Denver students with a full academic year of leadership training.

Mr. Montgomery is committed to increasing the number of first generation low-income students at the University of Colorado Denver through aggressive outreach efforts and innovative pipeline programs. Mr. Montgomery believes, “Building future leaders is essential to the future of America.” Montgomery’s long-term goal is to develop programs that offer leadership strategies to young adults from elementary school to adulthood. Low-income youth in many cases do not have the opportunity to participate in early leadership programs such as the Boy/Girl Scouts, but if we as a society invest in developing free leadership programs that teach civic responsibility, we will have a pipeline of mentors and leaders committed to serving the community.

LIGHTNING LECTURER

Thomas J. "Dr. Colorado" Noel, a Professor of History and Director of Public History, Preservation & Colorado Studies at University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver), is the author of numerous books, articles and columns. Tom is a graduate of the University of Denver, CU Denver and the University of Colorado at Boulder, where his mother (a psychiatrist) and grandmother (a teacher) also completed graduate work.

Tom teaches Denver, Colorado, Heritage Tourism, Historic Preservation, Mining & Railroads, National Parks History, U.S. West, and Western Art & Architecture courses at CU Denver, as well as conducting tours of the highest state and the Mile High City for the Smithsonian Institution and the History Colorado. Tom writes a regular column for the Sunday Denver Post Perspective section and also appears on Denver KUSA Channel 9's "Colorado & Company" as Dr. Colorado. Tom directs The Center for Colorado & The West at the Denver Public Library.

​AURARIA CAMPUS HISTORY TOUR -- FULL

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Alumni Beer Garden

Colorado is a hot spot for craft breweries and we're bringing some of the best to campus for a casual social tasting and yard games, including some CU Denver alumni-owned brewers. Tickets are required for entry into the beer garden and will be available for purchase on the registration form and on-site during LynxFest.

The passion project of Karen Hertz, a craft beer enthusiast and lover of living life to the fullest. Karen survived melanoma and thyroid cancer in her early 30’s, leading to a treatment plan including a gluten-free diet. Along with beating cancer came the desire to focus on health, happiness and a commitment to celebrate life every single day.

As a beer lover, being gluten intolerant meant only drinking gluten-free beer or not partaking in social activities in the same way her friends and family could. The lack of good tasting, gluten-free options was a challenge for Karen – one that she was driven to overcome. Years of taste testing GF beers, research on gluten-free ingredients and an understanding of processes other brewing companies utilized led her to believe there was a better way.

So, the idea of Holidaily Brewing Company was born: a company dedicated to creating excellent tasting gluten-free beer.

CU Denver Article Featuring Karen
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​​​​Tivoli Brewing Company is the oldest brewery in Colorado. We’re located in Downtown Denver on the Auraria campus- right where we’ve always been.

Tivoli Brewing Company began selling beer in 1859 to miners and newly settled Coloradans. Tivoli rapidly grew into the largest beer producer west of the Missouri River, surviving through Prohibition and beyond. Our rich and complicated history is deeply embedded in Denver’s beer culture.

We celebrate our past by painstakingly recreating original recipes so today’s drinkers can taste the 1800’s.

Enjoy your pint in the old Tivoli brewhouse built in 1864. We offer a historic brew with the best view of Denver’s evolving skyline.

FAQ

I'm trying to add a guest but the form is saying they are already registered.

Follow the steps in the question below to modify your registration, when adding your guests' information only provide an email address if it is different from the primary registrant's.

If this troubleshoot is still delivering an error, please contact CU Denver alumni relations at 303-315-2333 or email alumni@ucdenver.edu​.

How do I add a guest or change/modify my selections if I've already registered?

All registrants have the ability to modify their registrations on their own. Visit the registration page, at the top of the page and below the "register" button there is linked text reading, "Already Registered?" After putting in your email address and confirmation number (in confirmation email) there is a reviw of your registration. To change your registration select the "Modify Registration" button and make your necessary adjustments. An email confirming these changes will be sent.

I don't know my confirmation number.

After registering for LynxFest a confirmation email is sent to the email provided detailing the registration selections and providing a confirmation number.

If you cannot find your confirmation email, visit the registration page and select the "Already Registered?" linked text found on the top of the image and below the "register" button. Instructions for requesting your confirmation number is found there.

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​The Parent and Family Guide I was given at orientation lists a different date for LynxFest.

Unfortunately, the LynxFest date in the Parent and Family Guide was printed incorrectly. LynxFest: Family & Alumni Weekend is on Friday, October 13 through Saturday, October 14, 2017.